Method of making universal joints



Nov. 18, 1952 w. A. FhUMERFELT METHOD OF MAKING UNIVERSAL JOINTS Original Filed July 19, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 MMII INVENTOR. W/Y/Iam A. Hume/fe/f Nov. 18, 1952 w, FLUMERFELT 2,618,049-

METHOD OF MAKING UNIVERSAL JOINTS Original Filed July 19, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 .56 FIEuX. 5"

55 \1 Wml% mu TIMMMMI IN V EN TOR. W/Y/fd/fl H. F/umerfe/f TTOQNEY Patented Nov. 18, 1952 METHOD OF MAKING UNIVERSAL JOlNTS William A. Flumerfelt, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Columbus Auto Parts Company, Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application July 19, 1947, Serial No. 762,075. Divided andthis application February 21, 1950, Serial No. 145,560

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method in the making, forming, processing and assembling individual parts in an assembled mechanical unit such as a universal joint to reduce cost and effect a completed construction which in quantity production may be held to extremely accurate specifications and at the same time providing an efficiently operating assembling unit.

The objects of the present invention include the various steps and improved method of joint construction and assembly, which includes forming a housing by a drop forging process producing a natural fiare incidental to the forging, forming a blind solid closed end to the housing piece; leaving an unfinished portion in the inner socket wall and arranging the inner part of the socket so as to provide for means to receive the other parts of the joint and leaving the housing unhardened; the next step in the process includes providing a one-piece ring-shaped ball seat unit quite uniform in cross-sectional area so that in quantity production these units may be hardened in bulk with a minimum of distortion and which, if necessary, can be corrected for dimensional hardening changes by merely re-striking in a press. The further steps of the process include assembling any one of a plurality of ring seats in place with a hardened universal ball and stud properly seated with the ball in the inner surface of the hardened ring, the lower inside unfinished standing rim on the forged housing around the inserted hardened seat unit over a ledge on the latter to securely retain the entire unit in place in the socket.

This application is a division of my copending. application, Serial No. 762,075, filed July 19, 194i? for Ball and Socket Assembly, now Patent No."

2,516,688 and further objects and advantages are within the scope of this invention as will appear from a consideration of the specification and drawings of certain forms of the invention, one

of which may be preferred, in which:

Figure I is a vertical view, partly in section of the one-piece housing before being bored to receive the seat member;

Figure II is a plan view of the housing shown inFigure I;

Figure III is a vertical view partly in section- 2 4 Figure V is a sectional elevation of the ringshaped ball seat member;

Figure'VI is a plan of the ball seat member shown in Figure V;

Figure VII shows in elevation (part section) of a group of the remaining elements of the assembly, namely, the ball stud member, the spring and the spring seat;

Figure VIII is an elevation partly in section showing the members of the joint in assembled location before lookin them in final assembled position;

Figure IX is an elevation similar to Figure VIII but with the members locked in final assembled position by bending down housing rim;

Figure X is a vertical view partly in section showing an alternate form of the housing mem her before assembly;

Figure XI is a plan view of the housing shown in Figure X;

Figure XII is an enlarged elevation partly in section showing the assembly of the joint using the housing of Figure X before locking in' final assembled position; and

Figure XIII is an enlarged elevation similar to Figure XII with the members locked in final assembled position by bending down housing rim.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in Figures I and IX, I0 represents the one-piece drop forged socket housing having an integral tenon H screw threaded for connection with a tie rod. The socket or housing It) has a closed bottom or blind end l2; and as shown in Figure I, the receiving cavity l3 of the housing has tapered Walls I4 allowing for the natural draft of the forging dies. As the piece comes from the forging in this embodiment, this taper extends to the top of the forging, and it is only necessary for me to machine a cylindrical wall l5'extending from the top of the housing [0 to about midway of the cavity l3 as indicated in Figure III. This provides a ledge 15' on said inner socket wall and at the top end, there is an upper lip or rim IE on the housing I 0 which,

as will be hereinafter pointed out, is spun closed around the ball seat to hold the latter in place in assembling the joint.

A separate ball seat being used, no part of the housing need be hardened or provided with a hardened surface and in View of the fact, for example, that the socket is not coined or otherwise finished to give a hard surface and sufficient clearance for the internal parts of the joint are provided, normal forging variations encountered in practice may be disregarded and variations in metal volume are also of no consequence.

Referring to Figures V and VI, I show the hardened ball seat unit 20 detached from the joint. This ball seat consists of a ring 20 having a flat bottom face 2 I, an outside cylindrical wall 22 (to fitzthe wall l'5 of the housing H!) ,,-a ledge 23, and inclined :top faceiz lffor.its:.outside configuration. The inside configuration of the ball seat ring 20 includes the accurately formed. spherically shaped surface 26 extending from the bottom rim 2| to an outwardly "flared emar-gement or neck portion 21, the latter to permit shifting of the shank of the -.ballrstud ins-use.

The ball seat 20 is separately hardenedlbefore assembly and in view of the fact that itis relatively small and of substantiallyiuniformzcross section, these units may be hardenedirfbHlkwith a minimum of distortion, and any corrections necessary may be effected by a simple procedure as by restriking in a press, for example. By providing ;;a separate ling-snagged .ball seat :20, :as shown in Figures V and lalvtavcildthemecessity offattemptingitmmake 'arhardened (coined) ;seat in the wall of the housing itself.

- 'i;II.he;hardened rballiand ball-stud, unit 30 :shown inIigureHIIincIudeS the:shank 31, neck: 32,58,116. .sphericallyeshaped.ballportion63.

In the embodiments ;of --my invention herein shown,v I ;.provide thellower extremity :of the :ball .33 Widthm pivotal smaller :bearing zex-tension 1:3 4, Ttormingansendzbearing for the stud-zorramivot for the oscillation of the stud in use, the studsalso oscillating atthiszpoint. -;Of course, the studiunit fifliis'zhardenedlandlfiriishedztoianraccurateispherical :configuratio'n to provide .a. .close. initial fit'between the ihardenedball zseat' 20 sand the :ball, 'therebyzassuring that 'wear ibetween theseumeeting parts will be held to a minimum.

:A :sheet "metal spring rseat 13B '(Fh'gnreilZII) is depressed, as indicated at 31, to receiveithemivotal-aextension bearing :34. :at the :end 16f :tlrelrball asshown in Figure VIII. :It :willzbemotedtthat the -:outside lower edge 338 :of ;the spring :seat 1313 in the illustration may be-sspace'd fromithecinner lower partoi' th'e Wall :IA: atithe..lowen.portion-:of the cavity-13in the=socket1fl and that variations in "forging tolerances of" this portion I0f .the'zso cket may-occur in quantity production andtherparts df the joint may be properly assembled. aJSI- IIBIB- inafter pointed outwithoutrequiringamaccurate "fit ofi-theparts.

EInterposed between the closedbottom oriblind *en'd T2 :of the socket l0 isithe coilspi'ing $0,: the "*latterbeiirg coiled in a conical manner fsotas to "DIOVideFZIl extended base A'PrestingorTsupported on the 'ins'ideofthe-bottom l2"o'f thel'housing t0. Cliihersprir 1g "40 has "a -'smaller*terminal "H at the upper'end to contaot'the underside'of the spring 'sheet metal- 3,6 circumferentiallyadj'acent-thencpression 51 "which receives on its 'other*si'dethe pivotahball' seat extension -34 above referredto.

In assembly; it'will be seen' thata spring M -and springseat '35'are first located on thebottom 'or 'blinden'd Meta-socket l0, whereupon a'-ball-'seat "20*ccmbined-with a ball and ball -stud=30 is'inrserted" until thepivot 34'seats in the sheet-metal spring seat 31. Then the upper lip l6 oritheout "side *of the housing I 0 'is' spun around -the-ledge -or-notch 2 3 the ring 20 tosecurly hold an partsaof j the joint in assembled position as indimated'in'lFigureIX with the -spring 40' under the desired amount of compression. By this 'con- "struotion-an important feature is that'no'sepamate closing washer is needed-at the lower end o'f mousing I I'O'because of the integralclosed soriblin'd end l2.

fforginggand thisangle is also maintained on the A dust guard 45 has a collar 46 fitting over the neck 32 of the ball stud and a metal flange or apron 41 located below said collar and extending over the top edge 24 of the ball seat 20 and the spun-over end'ifi .of thehousingllall.

, Inxthe embodiment shownjnFi' urestX to )HII, the housing 50 is forged with a frusto-conical slower cavity 5! adjacent the blind end 52, and simultaneously forming an enlarged frusto-conical-upperportionor'extension 53 thereof adjacent theopenv' end, thereby-providing an annular ledge LISWat-thejuncture of these openings during the iforgingzloperation.

The wall of thehlower cavity 5|, as indicated at 155, :is :sloped ::at"the normal draft angle for wall'56 of the upper cavity 53.

'ilflre'iother parts of the joint illustrated in the embodiment of FiguresTX to XIII are similar to thQseidescri'bed-abovein.ccnnectionwithitheremhodi-mentillustr-atedein Figures Isto 51K, "and zit .willrbeiseen thatlinlthis embodimentthezslopesof the wall-.56 of the-upper; portionvofi-thez cavityiis inclined :but 'since the; rim 3 6115:.5191111 aroundithe seatZ-daf-tertheassembly-is illustrated inZ'Eig'ure XII to "hold .the gpartssin .position 38,5 showniain FigureHXIH, :the fact" that -.there;is-. a ;slight:space .5'.-is-of noiimportanee. v-Byqthe vmethodinvoilved inamyrembodiment. in-Eigures .toXHLitrwill-be .thusrseenwthat the ."boring or "the .cylindri'cal wall .t5-xo1f athe first embodiment is .renderediaunneoessary. in: the aembodimentzof Figures QI-ztoiflII.

.In -.eachembodi-ment, it will --.be .SCBIllthEt of 1 thelcom ponent; .partsrof .theuniversalt jointzmay be ;-pi eke.d from -.the; plurali ty :ofsuch icomponent :parts produced :in batches Tito :zcertain sspecified tolerances :andi arsinglej oint made up. in'mhichiall themarts'wilhproperlyfittogether'withoutsrequip .ing rany rspecialditting. .sI-Ience, .tquantity produo .tionnin'i:large.numbersrof accurate :j aims is :greatly facilitated.

Tilt iis z'a pparent that, within the esccpe df the invention, :modifications and different arrangeme1itsmayibe-made0ther than -is=herein disclosed, and ittheirpresent disclosure is illustrative merely, tigezinvention comprehendin'gall'variationsthere- .o

=WhatT-I claim is r 1. A- metho'd -*of constructing a -multiygile piece universal joint *-assemblycomprising providing ;a blank-Tor:;a=one-piece unhardened socketfhousinlg; dro k forging'a socket in 1 saidimemberzwith lone integrally-closed end andsimultaneouslyiforming an 'cpen-tend-:with-' a circulannarrowirim :thereon leaving the-inside wall'ofthe'socket with'a natural draft or "a conical configuration andiformingza seat supporting ledge in the inner .wall ofssai'd socket, leaving unfinished .the sooketadiacent;the closed end; forming "a separate :ring+'shaped Tinsert adapted to form'a' ball seathsaid .insertlhaving a-= spherically-'shapedinner surface andjtwoofiset outer surfaces, one of larger :diameter thanthe other to therebysimultaneously iorm anlinterconnecting ledge *between 1 said outside surfaces, making the mortion gof ;the;larger ,idiameter .to telescope-wlthinthe' inner'f'housing wall;;harldenmg-saidring-shaped insert'prioritojnsertionlinto the socket; providing a balland stud .unit .viu'th 1a spherically-shaped ball part portion an'dlhar clening the same; providing anexpandingcspringand 'lndfiltlng'the' same through theqpen end df..said socket to" contact the 'closed' end; then inserting said ring seat in saidhousing withaball andstuii located-inside said'ring until-one edgetdf saidlring rests against said ledge on the inner'wa'll'df said socket; and spinning said rim located at the open end of said housing over said ledge on said ring to clamp said ring between said ledge on the ring and said ledge in the socket and to simultaneously permanently position said expandable spring under compression in said joint.

2. A method of constructing a multiple piece universal joint assembly comprising providing a blank for a one-piece unhardened socket housing; drop forging a socket in said member leaving one integrally closed end and simultaneously forming an open end with a circular narrow rim portion thereon, said forging operation leaving the inside wall of the socket with a natural draft of a conical configuration; machining the inner wall from the open end inwardly to adjacent the central portion only of said socket to form a cylindrical inner Wall for a portion thereof and a seat supporting ledge in the inner wall of said socket and leaving unfinished the remainder of said socket in said housing; providing a separate ring-shaped insert adapted to form a ball seat by forming said insert with a spherically-shaped inner surface and two offset outer surfaces, one larger than the other to thereby simultaneously form an interconnecting ledge between said outside surfaces of said insert and making the portion of the larger diameter to telescope within the cylindrical inner housing wall; hardening said ring-shaped insert; providing a ball and stud unit with a sphericallyshaped part ball portion and hardening the same; providing an expanding spring and a spring seat into the closed end of said socket in said housing and then inserting a ring in said housing with a ball and stud located inside said ring by sliding said ring within the cylindrical portion of said inner Wall of the housing until one edge of said ring rests against said ledge on the inner wall of said socket; and spinning said rim of said housing over said ledge on said ring to clamp ring between said ledge on the ring and said ledge in the socket and to simultaneously permanently position said spring under compression between the closed end of the socket and the spring seat interposed between the other end of said spring and a part of said stud unit.

WILLIAM A. FLUMERFELT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,714,661 Crawford May 28, 1929 1,845,697 Baker Feb. 16, 1932 2,009,401 I-lufierd July 30, 1935 2,124,034 I-Iufierd July 19, 1938 2,225,758 Stein Dec. 24, 1940 2,516,688 Flumerfelt July 25, 1950 

